human activities and the biological world

This job summarizes each organization's protective efforts against human destruction. It also identifies specific causes of destruction as recognized by these organizations.

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Prairie Wildlife Research (http://www.prairiewildlife.org)

According to their website, Prairie Wildlife Research is a "non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and research
of prairie wildlife species and their habitats."

Their offices are in Wellington, Colorado.

Their two main species that they seek to protect are the prairie dog and the black-footed ferret.

The black-footed ferret is a member of the weasel family and is the only ferret native to North America. They are carnivores and eat practically only prairie dogs. That makes them very dependent on a healthy population of prairie dogs. In addition to eating prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets often take over their burrows for their own shelter. Therefore, prairie dogs supply not only food for the black-footed ferrets, but also shelter.

The main reason for the need to protect the species is that since the early 1900s, humans have practically wiped out prairie dog colonies in the prairies. As a result, the black-footed ferret populations have declined as well. You see, ranchers wanted prairie dogs eradicated because they perceived them as threats to their cattle. Ranchers were worried that the prairie dogs would eat up all the grass leaving their cattle ...